Gates of another world
by read-to-dream
Summary: Amber Keele is a sixteen year old girl from our world, who discovers the mysterious gate that separates the divergent world from ours. She is determined to find out what lies behind the gate, and one day just happens to slip past it. Follow Amber, as she discovers the world of factions and joins Beatrice Prior in her initiation. With old characters as well as new.
1. Chapter 1

I pass the tall, iron gates every single day I go to school. They loom over me with their pointed spear tips as if to say, 'you come any closer, you gonna be dead'. No one in my family knows these gates even exist, in fact, no one at my stupid torture centre they call school knows it exists either. Only me.

I mean, I _am_ the only one aware of this back-alley shortcut to school, that begins right in my backyard. All I have to do is pull aside the thick menacing bushes that line the very back of the yard, the area furthest away from the view of my house, and there's a narrow path. It's dusty and windy, but eventually I'll find myself in an abandoned alley.

That's where the gate is. The alley looks as if nobody has stepped into it for months, maybe years. There are rats and bugs climbing the walls, and I remember screaming the first time I came here and saw them, the strangled high-pitched noise echoing over and out.

Now I'm used to it. I might go so far as to say the creatures of this back alley are even my companions, since I haven't seemed to found any real friends here in the outskirts of Chicago. The alley is my haven, my moment of solitude in a world that's constantly moving.

Well, it was, until giant military vans started spilling through it, one by one. The gate would creak open, and the vans would drive through. My place of solitude was destroyed. But my place of mystery had been created.

What is behind that gate? Why have I seen no one go through it until now?

Those questions have continued to nag me at the back of my mind for some time. And although I know I don't know the answers, I know one thing for sure; I'm gonna find out.


	2. Chapter 2

The little orange clock on my bedside table ticks slower than I would have thought most clocks tick. Perhaps the batteries are running out? Nevertheless, I watch it attentively as the big hand slowly inches towards the twelve and the small hand, towards the seven. Taking a few deep breaths, I attempt to calm my quivering hands, but really, there's no point. I'm nervous, let's face it. This feeling is not one I am accustomed to feel too often but now it dominates my every thought, it's searing through my veins, keeping me awake.

When the clock finally strikes seven o'clock, I pull myself out of bed hurriedly and walk to the only window in my room. Sunlight smiles down at me as it filters in great bursts of warmth, so I, too, smile back at it. Today's the day. I clench my fists together tightly, the veins pop out. I can do this, I can do this.

"Amber!" I turn around guiltily. Standing in front of me is my older sister, Kylie. Glossily straight black hair. Classic nose. Olive skin. A picture of perfection. She continues in a softer tone, "Amber, Mom was just wondering whether you'll be able to pick up Sinead from school today and walk her home." Now, the amount of guilt matches up to the amount of nerves. "Sure, Kylie, okay" my voice is suspiciously squeaky. I stare down at my long bare foot as if it's the most interesting thing I've ever seen. "Good", Kylie spins around on her pink and sparkly heel and walks away from me. Maybe for ever.

"Kylie! Wait!" I have to say something to her, a goodbye, a hint, I don't know. "Kylie, just. Um you're a really lovely sister." I don't know what I expected in response, but it certainly wasn't the look of complete shock that comes over her face. Lifting an immaculately manicure finger to her chin, she accuses, "Are you on drugs or something Amber? God, get a hold of yourself woman. What's up with you today?" She leaves.

I know I've never shown any affection for her previously, but come on, what else I was supposed to say when I'm leaving her and probably never going to see her again. Selfish, selfish, selfish. That's what I am. My mom is the best mom in the whole world. My Dad works non- stop to give us the opportunities we need for a good future. My sisters, although sometimes annoying, can also be loving and funny.

Yet, I'm leaving them.

I've asked myself why want to leave them so many times it's not funny. But it's not them. It's this whole world, this society. Everyone trying to please others, trying to get more money, more fame. I don't belong.

I quickly change into a plain white jersey and jeans with a belt to keep them up (unfortunately, I'm built like a stick), and get ready for the day ahead. I avoid the dining area where I know the rest of my family will be. It'll be too painful to see them. Once done, I grab my favourite grey backpack from under my bed. Inside, there's a few days worth of packages foods, toiletries, spare clothes, and a knife. I pick up the knife. It gleams maliciously in the sunlight, entrancing me. 'Snap out of it', I tell myself, and put the knife back in the backpack.

On the way out of my room, I happen to catch an image of myself reflected on the long mirror in the corner. Dust has collected on the surface from months of neglect, but I can still see myself clearly. It's not me, I see. It can't be. I take a step closer. Sure I have the same brown hair that waves softly down my back, same caramel-olive skin, same big dark eyes and straight nose, no inch of makeup on my face. But it's the expression on my face which startles me. Frightened. For the first time in my life, calm brave Amber has turned into a frightened school girl.

Doubt creeps into my mind over my ability to do this, but I shake it aside. The gate beckons me, time to go. I grin to myself quietly. This is gonna be fun

...

By the time I reach the back-alley, the sun is at its peak. It blinds me when I look up at it, magnificently dominating our world. Yet its glorious rays don't reach the alley, it remains dark and shadowed. Turning my attention back to the gate, I analyse it. Too tall to climb, too low to crawl under, it is literally impossible to get through it when closed. That's why I have another plan, I smirk to myself.

My watch now reads 7:29 am; the military vans should be arriving any time soon. They are the type of vehicles that have flaps at the back, instead of an actual door. If my plan goes well, I should be able to just sneak through one of those black flaps and let them drive me right through the gates.

Easy as cake.

And here they come, parading down in a long structured row. This is going to be more difficult than I thought. They are so close to one another, there's barely any gap for me to sneak through. I'll have to wait for the last one.

After about 20 vans have driven through the gates, I spot the last van. "Gotcha," I whisper to no one in particular. It drives at a pretty fast speed, they all do.

Closer and closer it comes, and louder and louder my breath sounds, coming in deep haggard rasps. It's passed me finally, and I start to run. Sprinting is not my speciality but I do have stamina, so I continue to run with all my might, desperate to catch up.

It's not good. I'm not as fast as I thought I'd be. We're about 10 metres from the gate, and I thought I'd be in the van by now. I screw up my face with determination, and just sprint even harder. It works, and I advance on the van with greater speed. My arm stretches out as far as it can, which is pretty far since my limbs are so long, and just before it reaches the gate, I grab onto a handle on the back and hoist myself inside.

Sweat bubbles frame my face, boxes of unknown objects surround me, but all I can think is YES! I did it. I laugh a free excited laugh, almost to the point of wheezing, I'm so happy and relieved. I'm through the gates, YES!

But my joy is as easily cut off as it came, as a thick strong hand curls roughly around my arm and pulls me against the wall. It's too dark in the van to see anything, but I can definitely hear. And all I hear is a low menacing voice whisper in my ear, "I'm sorry intruder, but I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us".

I gulp.


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes won't open.

They are literally clamped down so tight that in spite of the fact that I constantly _will_ them to open, not even a flutter of an eyelid results. I have no idea what's going on right now, where I am, what time it is... Oblivion, though sweet to some, is not exactly a state of mind I like to be in. So if my eyes won't budge, I'll just have to try my hands.

Using all the will power I can possibly muster, I draw my eyebrows close together, wrinkle up my nose, and push through that invisible wall barring me from control. A finger jerks. Once more, Amber, once more. Eyebrows furrowed a second time, nose wrinkled, and after an excruciating moment of tension, I break the wall. I clench and unclench my fist, attempting to regain charge of my mechanics. Shakily, I raise it up to my right eye, pinch a layer of thick eyelashes, and lift up my lid.

The bright blinding light that greets me is not friendly at all, but it does serve as a portal back into reality, and all my memories of the past few hours streak back. After the guard had found me, he had dragged me out of the military van and out into what looked like an army head quarters. Men and women dressed in black, tattoos covering their exposed arms, walked around the area. Walkie-talkies held up to their mouths, they shouted commands into it, using unusual word like 'divergent' and 'factions'. So scary were they, had I been on the receiving end of their command, I wouldn't have dared refuse.

But, I remember now, my glimpse into this strange place was halted within seconds of my exiting the van, as a sharp acute pain was shot into my right arm. I had turned in a shock, just in time to see a thin needle of an injection being removed from me. The guard, who had shot it, had grinned a greasy yellow smile and whispered, "Sleep tight, sleeping beauty", right before darkness had consumed me.

I suppose the injection explains my inability to master my movements when I had first gained consciousness, but at least it's effect was starting to wear away. I kick my feet under the thin sheet on top of me and rotate my head in circles, feeling the relief as my physical properties belong to me again.

But, where exactly am I?

I sit up in the fragile bed frame I was placed in and turn around. Not much to see, to be honest. The bed is the only object in the room. And the room, itself, is like the size of a very large box, the plain walls closing in on me. Dragging my feet to the uncarpeted floor, I gingerly stand up, testing my weight on my newly revived legs.

The door slams open.

Two guards march in and each grab one of my arms, lifting me into the air. "Stop let me go!" I shriek at the top of my lungs and kick my long legs at the guard on my right. "If you don't I'll, um, I'll," I rack my brains, trying to think of a frightening threat. Unfortunately, it's quite hard to frighten the definition of frightening itself. They're leading me down a narrow passage, almost like a corridor in a hospital. Blank white doors stare at me from both sides, hard to distinguish one from the other. But right at the end of the passage lies a dark blue door. Not the peaceful dreamy type of blue, but a harsh dangerous type. You can distinguish this one out of the crowd very easily.

Once we get to the end of the passage, one of the guards takes the whole squirming me into his iron grip, while the other slicks back his greasy brown hair with the back of his hand, and opens the door. A lot nicer than the way they had opened my door, by the way.

"Come in," an authoritative female voice calls out. The guard with the greasy brown hair walks in first, "Jeanine, my lady, here's the intruder from outside the gates that you requested to see." "Well, what are you waiting for, bring her in!" This Jeanine woman apparently has a temper. My guard carries me in and deposits me uncaringly in a wooden chair, facing the desk of which Jeanine Matthews stands on the other side.

She doesn't look like how she sounds. Instead of the menacing robotic woman I expected to see, here stands before me what looks like a rather stylish teacher. Her attractive face is accessorised with rectangular glasses, framing her watery grey eyes. She wears a dark blue dress, figure-hugging, exposing a voluptuous but pudgy figure. Intelligence is in her aura, an intimidating kind, and judging by the expression on her smug face, she knows it too.

Nevertheless, she doesn't truly scare me like the guards did. I'm filled with hope. "Excuse me, Miss, uh, Jeanine, but you don't think you could just, kinda, let me out of here?" "Leave," she instructs the guards, without taking her eyes off me. She's getting a little bit scary now. "Amber Keele," she smiles, "well done on getting this far. Very few have, let me tell you, but you are not like the rest of them."

"Uh, thank you... I think?"

"When I say you're not like the rest of them, what I mean by that, is that _they_ didn't have a choice when it came to their painful but quick death. _You do."_

Horror, shock, terror. What in the world have I landed myself in to!? Is my intrusion through the gates a big enough crime for the death penalty?! And what does she mean by me having a choice?! Does she mean that I get the highly esteemed privilege in deciding whether I would like to be electrocuted to death or fed to a giant shark?

Putting on a brave face is something I can do, even when my insides feel upside down, so I try to sound calm and civil, "I don't understand, miss". There. I said Miss. Maybe she'll like me because of that, all my teachers at school did. Oh, who am I kidding, I better ask if I can start preparing my funeral.

"Oh you don't understand, you don't understand," she laughed a short sarcastic laugh, "My Amber, you're sixteen presumably?"

"Turned sixteen two months ago."

"And obviously you came through the gates for a reason. To escape your world, perhaps? And then, interrupt me if I conclude wrongly, you would like to stay here if you could?"

I look around pointedly. Not much attraction in an army base, if that was all the gates locked away.

Jeanine immediately gets my point, "Oh Amber, dear, this is nothing. These gates lock away a whole new civilisation. A civilisation much different to the one you came from, and in my point of view, a civilisation much superior."

Excitement tickles my senses.

"I know, from my sources, that you were unhappy back in you past society. I like people to be happy, dear, I really do. Killing the other intruders was something I could not bear to witness. So I've decided to offer you a deal"

I'm sitting on the edge of my seat now, restraining myself from jumping up in enthusiasm.

Jeanine clears her throat, "If you chose to escape or leave our city now, we will find you and hunt you down. Then, you will be killed. But, if you chose to stay, you can stay forever. Live here among the other citizens, be one of us. Just with one tiny little condition."

There's always a catch.

"When the time comes to chose your faction, you will choose Dauntless. And once there, you will keep your ears and eyes open for anyone who confesses or talks about 'divergent'. If you hear that word, you will come to me straight away and tell me who said it."

Wait, what?! I exclaim, "Divergent? Dauntless? Faction? What do those words even mean?!"

Jeanine smiles, "It will be all explained to you later, if you agree to the deal." She obviously saw the look of apprehension on my face as she soothed, "Don't worry, it's not going to hurt you if you accept the deal. You'll just be my little inside helper. Sign here if you accept," she indicates a formal looking contract on her mahogany desk.

At this point, I have no idea what's going on or how I will 'help' Jeanine. But I really really really want to live in the city and start a new life. I stand up strongly, "My entire life has been nothing. I've just been waiting for something to change me, to captivate me. But nothing ever came, from where I was from." Jeanine nods encouragingly. "But now, this contract. This is exactly what I've been waiting for, a chance for rebirth into a world where I might actually fit in. I'd be an idiot not to accept it."

And with that I grab the blue fountain pen beside the contract, and sign a big 'AMBER'. There, it's done. No turning back now.

The sound of hand meeting hand enters my ears and I look up to see Jeanine clapping, her eyes focus on me with an intensity unknown to me before today.

"You'll do very well here, Amber," she smiles, "You'll do very well indeed."


End file.
